Not long after the Boston bombings a friend of mine was seeking theological wisdom to help process the attack. When we both realized that neither her rabbi nor my minister had offered anything especially helpful, I suggested that she watch President Obama's comments on YouTube. They were both thoughtful and profound, I told her.
I was reminded of this conversation when I listened to the president's response this week to the tornado in Oklahoma. Once again, he offered spiritual solace not only to those directly involved but to all of us in the midst of tragedy. Has he defined a new role for the presidency?
If so, he's good at it--which may account in part for his steady approval ratings. His unusual equanimity rarely gives way. That he can speak of the unspeakable time and again defuses some of the terror that accompanies these events.
Minister in Chief is probably not listed in the president's job description. But this work done well makes all the difference.
Showing posts with label Boston Bombings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Boston Bombings. Show all posts
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Monday, April 22, 2013
Such An American Tragedy
It's hard to get my mind around the events in Boston last week. Both Monday's horrific bombings and Friday's violent conclusion hit close to home--even though we're 700 miles away. Here's why I think these events felt so personal:
1. Most of us know someone who lives in Boston.
2. Marathons are a big part of our culture--our more wholesome culture, that is. The Boston Marathon is like the 4th of July.
3. The bombings were so thoroughly photographed that, by the end of the day, the victims--both those who died and those who survived--almost became our friends. They looked like people we knew.
4. The backwards baseball cap of the younger brother evoked the image of high school boys all over the country.
5. Backpacks are standard American gear.
6. Sean Collier, the MIT officer, was just sitting in his car doing his job; his shift was about to end.
7. The brothers spared the life of the guy whose car they hijacked. If we'd played a starring role in this horror movie of all horror movies, wouldn't we have been cast as him?
8. Two brothers on a mission isn't hard to imagine. We find ourselves hoping that Tamerlan lured his younger brother Dzhokhar into this diabolical scheme. Then, we tell ourselves, this nightmare might make some sense.
9. In a video filmed by a woman who lives down the street from the Watertown shootout, you hear over 50 gunshot and explosive sounds--as well as dogs barking and birds chirping.
10. A 19-year-old curled up in a boat--Huckleberry Finn he ain't.
1. Most of us know someone who lives in Boston.
2. Marathons are a big part of our culture--our more wholesome culture, that is. The Boston Marathon is like the 4th of July.
3. The bombings were so thoroughly photographed that, by the end of the day, the victims--both those who died and those who survived--almost became our friends. They looked like people we knew.
4. The backwards baseball cap of the younger brother evoked the image of high school boys all over the country.
5. Backpacks are standard American gear.
6. Sean Collier, the MIT officer, was just sitting in his car doing his job; his shift was about to end.
7. The brothers spared the life of the guy whose car they hijacked. If we'd played a starring role in this horror movie of all horror movies, wouldn't we have been cast as him?
8. Two brothers on a mission isn't hard to imagine. We find ourselves hoping that Tamerlan lured his younger brother Dzhokhar into this diabolical scheme. Then, we tell ourselves, this nightmare might make some sense.
9. In a video filmed by a woman who lives down the street from the Watertown shootout, you hear over 50 gunshot and explosive sounds--as well as dogs barking and birds chirping.
10. A 19-year-old curled up in a boat--Huckleberry Finn he ain't.
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